Seattle Seahawks mock draft 3.0: Seattle gets a receiver first

Round 4, pick 124. Max Scharping: OT/OG Northern Illinois

The Seahawks have their starting guard tandem. D.J. Fluker and Mike Iupati will be the starting guards if they can stay healthy. That’s a mighty big if. The Seahawks have Joey Hunt and Jordan Simmons as potential backups, as well as Ethan Pocic. So while the O-Line could use some upgrades, it’s not a position they need to reach for.

Instead, they can let the draft board fall to them, and Max Scharping could be an interesting option. He played both left and right tackle at NIU but lacks the length and athleticism to count on at the NFL level. He is well built and has the strength to handle the bull rush.

Scharping has good fundamentals in the run game but needs to refine his pass rush mechanics. He doesn’t have a ton of raw skills but has always gotten the job done for 4-years. It’s not impossible for Scharping to end up as a right tackle, but is probably better suited for guard long-term.

He’s not a sexy pick but is a better football player than the sum of his parts. He gets the job done more often than not. Scharping is a tough, reliable lineman and one that could make offensive line coach Mike Solari quite happy.

Round 4, pick 133: Jalen Jelks, LEO Oregon

Jalen Jelks is a bit of a “tweener”. He has good arm length and wingspan but did very little at the combine to improve his stock. At 6’5″, 256 lbs, he’s a bit lean to be a traditional edge. But he ran a 4.92 forty yard dash with below-average agility numbers, making him seem a bit too unathletic to be an outside linebacker.

Despite these poor numbers at the combine, Jelks was a first team All-Conference player in 2018. He has good hand technique he learned as an interior lineman in 2017. He more twitchy than fast and uses good bend to get small and blow past slower tackles.

His film is inconsistent, but he does flash ability that a good coach may be able to extract a good player from. Take a look at this rep from the Senior Bowl against the aforementioned Max Schapling:

Jelks needs to get stronger, particularly in the lower half. Jelks is more than likely a “redshirt” candidate and would likely be inactive on many game days. There is enough on film to be intrigued and take a chance on Jelks. But you cannot depend on him in 2019, so the team who drafts him should see this as a lottery ticket selection.

He needs more reps and would benefit from another year in college. Unfortunately, that isn’t an option for Jelks. He was much better in his junior season and the Seahawks have a habit of taking players coming off a “down” season.